My nudge word for 2025 was balance. It’s difficult for me to remember a year that’s been so divided between moments when, in a cold sweat, I’ve thought, “I have no idea what I’m doing” and those when, in tears and triumph, I’ve thought, “I absolutely know what I’m doing.”
Is that balance? Who can say! Let’s review.
Continue reading “2025 in Review”
FYI, the ebook of Bold Moves is on sale for the first time in North America. Until the end of August, you can get it for $2.49 at Amazon. It’s also available in KU, in paperback, and on audio, where it’s read wonderfully by Savannah Peachwood and Jeremy York. There’s a full list of buy links at Books2Read.
Additionally, the ebooks for Chick Magnet and Bad Reputation are both $1.99 this month, so it’s a great time to stock up on Emma Barry titles for cheap.
A few months ago, I asked my newsletter subscribers what bonus material they wanted to see for Bold Moves, and the consensus was Jaime and Scarlett’s high school love affair.
I had several pages of notes with snippets of conversations and ghosts of scenes, the kinds of things that I worked into exposition and memory in Bold Moves. So I picked out a few that felt most important to me–and which could give the thing some kind of narrative coherence–and I started writing. And I kept writing. And then I wrote some more.
Finally, I had an 11,000-word prequel sketch. I’m planning to send it out to my newsletter on August 1; if you aren’t subscribed, you can fix that here. I will eventually add a link to the extra to the book page, but subscribing to my newsletter is the fastest way to get the prequel.
A few notes: given that the novel is a second-chance romance, don’t go looking for a happy ending here. It doesn’t have one. It does have profanity, on-page kissing, and references to poverty, homelessness, and drug trafficking.
Do you remember when I used to blog? Ah, those were the days!
With the decline of the Google Reader and RSS feeds and as it became harder to balance my day job with my parenting responsibilities and my writing, it became more difficult for me to justify spending time on blogging. Each post would only get a few dozen hits, and so it made more sense to save those ideas, and that time, for my newsletter. (Which you can sign up for here, if you’re inclined.)
But I just finished drafting a book, and I realized that I have some interesting data, or at least some data that I found to be interesting. For my last three projects, I tracked my writing progress in spreadsheets, meaning that I can take a granular look at my productivity. What follows is a peek into my–wildly disparate and probably dysfunctional–writing process.
Continue reading “3 Books By the Numbers”
It’s release day for BOLD MOVES, my second chance romance about a chess grand master adapting her memoir with the director whose heart she broke in high school. It can now be yours on Kindle (and in KU) and in paperback; the wonderful audiobook—read by Savannah Peachwood and Jeremy York—is available at Audible; and there are additional buy links at Books2Read.
I have to confess something: I am boring. No, really, it’s true. I eat the same thing for lunch almost every day. I love listening to narrative history podcasts. And I think solving the Piano Puzzler is fun.
See, I told you—boring.
But because of that, in real life and in fiction, I have always had a soft spot for people who paint their lives in screaming neon. Those capital-C characters who are loud and audacious and comfortable in the spotlight. Those folks who can crank their emotions up to 11. Jaime and Scarlett are those kinds of people.
This is a book about how the stories we tell become our identities. It’s about making impossible choices when you’re probably going to lose the game. It’s about fate and forgiveness…and the seductiveness of reusable canvas bags, sourdough bread, and chess. Chess above all things.
Continue reading “Bold Moves Release Day!”We’re less than a month away from the release of Bold Moves!! If you haven’t yet, you can preorder it for Kindle (it will also be in KU) and in paperback. The audiobook—read by Savannah Peachwood and Jeremy York—will be available at Audible and you can add it to your Goodreads shelves. There are additional preorder links at Books2Read.
I’ve started hearing from folks who’ve read it, and some of them were kind enough to say nice things about it. I was especially touched by these blurbs from Alicia Thompson and Jen Devon. With Love, From Cold World and Bend Toward the Sun are, bar none, some of my favorite romances of the last few years. I was just beyond excited that they read and enjoyed Bold Moves.
Plus, if you’re in the United States, you can enter a giveaway to win one of 100 copies of Bold Moves here. The number of folks who have a book marked “to read” is one of those things (along with preorder numbers) that publishers really pay attention to.
And finally, I went on the Book Besties podcast to talk about Bold Moves! You can listen here and watch on YouTube here. We talked about the book and my writing process and differentiating character voices and a million other things.
This is a difficult year to take stock of because outwardly, I tried to project a sunny confidence that I did not feel. I didn’t talk about the hardest moments online. Suffice it to say, I spent more time sitting with family members in hospital rooms in 2024 than I could’ve predicted. Everyone is better now, but it was immensely challenging–and that’s setting aside the state of the world.
My nudge word for the year was hungry, and I did in fact go for it, even when my instincts were screaming for me to diminish and go into the west. I was rewarded in some ways, and I fell short in others. All together, it was a gratifying year…and it was a trial. The best I can say is that I persisted, and so let’s review.
In 2024, I:
In terms of my 2023 goals, I didn’t write two books and finish a third: I wrote 1.3 books, plus some bonus material. All together, I’m north of 140K new words for the year. I suspect 140-160K in a year is my sweet spot these days. As I make goals moving forward, that’ll be my target.
Next year, I’d like to sign some new contracts and to write 1.5 books. I’d like to be chill about my 2025 release. I’d like to be on social media less, and I’d like to move and stretch more–intellectually, creatively, and physically. And I’d like to read more.
May 2025 be a year of growth and love for us all. xo
(I’ve been producing some version of this post for as long as I’ve been blogging my writing. You can read about my 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013 respectively.)
I have something that I hope will be a distraction on a tense afternoon: the cover for Bold Moves! Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s the work of the amazing Caroline Teagle Johnson.
After writing several slow burns in a row, I was craving something that was different, and Jaime and Scarlett’s story couldn’t be less like Cole and Maggie’s. It’s raw and messy in the way that only second chance can deliver, and I’m so excited for it to be in your hands. And the release date shifted the tiniest bit: it’s going to drop on April 22, 2025! You can preorder it on Kindle and paperback at Amazon and add it on Goodreads, and I hope you do.
Also, as I’ve been doomscrolling at 3 a.m., I ended up rereading The One You Crave, an anthology of my short political romances. It includes three pieces I wrote mostly to talk myself out of despair: “Kissing and Other Forms of Sedition,” “The Fourth Estate,” and “Run.” This will either be exactly what you want right now, or it will be the absolute anathema to what you want right now, but just case, I made it free for Kindle. You can grab it here if you’re so inclined. It’ll revert to the regular price on November 6.
As you probably know, Hurricane Helene barreled into Appalachia in late September, causing widespread devastation. I live in coastal Virginia, and we’ve traveled in the affected area many times. It’s a beautiful region of the country, and the images of bridges and towns being swept away in an instant was horrifying.
Wanting to do something to help, I donated to the Western North Carolina Indie Authors auction. The auction goes live TODAY and ends on October 20, so get browsing!
Up for grabs is a set of books from me. I’ll send the winner signed paperback copies of Chick Magnet, Funny Guy, and Bad Reputation immediately and then, as soon as I have them in hand, I’ll add an ARC of Bold Moves. Chick Magnet and Bold Moves are both set in small (fictional) towns in southwest Virginia, so it’s especially poignant for me to be able to offer those to the highest bidder in this auction.
Continue reading “A Charity Auction and a Zillion Guest Posts”
So I am doing my very first in-person reader event at Novel Grounds, a romance book in Chesapeake, Virginia, on October 12. You can reserve a ticket here, and the price includes a print copy of Bad Reputation—which I will happily sign for you.
Until now, I haven’t done any signings because I didn’t feel like a “real” author. I still don’t, to be honest. But I’m trying to fake it until I make it and to be more confident about promo. (Is my confession adding or detracting from the effect?) It would certainly help me own it if someone shows up for this event. So I would love, love, LOVE to see you there.
Continue reading “A signing, a series on sale, and a title announcement”
Emma Barry 